Relay



Oct. 13, 1936. MKEEFE 2,057,380

RELAY Filed Dec. 4, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Znvcouv if ffEEFE ATTORNEY5 Oct. 13, 1936.

L. M. KEEFE RELAY Filed Dec. 4, 1953v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 23 26 27 4! 36 1 57 46 1 E. ll

INVENTOR LINCOLN KEEFE BY I Wm *M ATTO R N EYS Patented Oct. 13, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in relays and has for an object the provision of a double coil relay in which the core forms an armature adapted to reciprocate in one direction 5 when one coil is energized and in an opposite direction when the other coil is energized.

Another object of the invention is the provision, in a double coil relay, of stationary contacts at either end of the coil structure in line with the reciprocating armature, and contacts posi .tioned on each end of said armature in such a manner that one of the armature contacts engages one of the stationary contacts when the armature moves in one direction due to the energization of one ofv the coils, and the other armature contact engages the other stationary contact when the armature is influenced by the other coil.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means including spring means engaging the armature and adapted to hold it under tension in either of its two positions with one of its contacts engaging one of the stationary contacts thereby ensuring a minimum contact resistance. Still another object is the provision, in a double acting relay having a sliding core armature, of an armature having restrained spring loaded contacts in addition to the spring load provided for effecting a toggle action of the armature. Another object is the provision of. a double coil relay having a moving core armature adapted to reciprocate within the compass of the coils and having contacts external to the coil.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a relay having a moving core armature adapted to reciprocate within the center of the winding, and having a mercury tube adapted to be rocked by the movement of the armature.

Still a further object of the invention is the provision of a relay having a moving core armature adapted to close a pair of contacts at each end of. its stroke and having auxiliary contacts adapted to be actuated at a point between the limitsof the movement of the armature.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art, particularly the method of sealing the armature and the contacts away from the air, and the compact manner of mounting a plurality of these relays in groups, which will be presently described.

I Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of. a modified form of the relay shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end view of the relay shown in Figure 2, showing the arrangement of the terminals; 0

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of a further modification of the improved relay in which the contacts are positioned outside of the zone of the windings;

Figure 5 is an elevation of a portion of the con- 10 tacts as viewed along the line 5--5 of Fig. 4;

Figure 6 is a plan view of the contacts and the contact strip of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a sectional elevation of another modification of the improved relay in which the 15 armature is provided with restrained, spring loaded contactors;

Figure 8 is an elevation of an embodiment of the invention similar to Figure 4, but with the provision of a rocking mercury switch adapted to be actuated by the reciprocating armature;

Figure 9 is an elevation of a relay such as is shown in Figure l, with the provision of auxiliary contact members adapted to be actuated between the two extreme positions of the armature;

Figure 10 is a side view, partly in section, showing the method of mounting the improved relays in compact groups; V

Figure 11 is a fragmentary end view of a plurality of the devices shown in Figure 10 showing how conveniently they may be connected up; and V Figure 12 is a diagrammatic sketch showing the relay connected up to control a plurality of circuits.

Referring again to Figure l, a sleeve 20, preferably of a material having a different consistency and hardness from that of the armature 2|, is provided and forms a support for the windings 22 and 23. It has been found that brass or bronze serves very nicely as a material from which to form the sleeve 20. The interior bore of this sleeve is reamed or otherwise highly finished to form an easy working fit with the armature 2|. It has been found desirable to cut a longitudinal 45 slot in the sleeve or tube 20 to reduce eddy currents and the choking efiect of a closed conductor around the core of the windings which in this case is the moving armature 2|.

The moving armature designated by the 5 numeral 2| has one end 24, and the other end 25 of full diameter to form a working fit with the interior of the sleeve 20. The mid-portion of the armature is machined in the form of two conical frustrums 26, 21 with their bases common along the midline 23 of the armature, the mid-. line 26 being of substantially the same diameter as that of the ends 24 and 25.

A center head 29 is carried by the sleeve 20 and is preferably positioned midway between the ends thereof.

A plurality of radial holes 30 and 3| are formed in the center head 29 extending through and communicating with the interior bore of the sleeve 20. v

The actuating coil 22 is wound on the sleeve 20 on one side of the center head 23 and the reset coil 23 is wound on the sleeve on the other sid oi the center head.

The armature 2| carries a contact point 36 on its end 24, and a contact point 31 on its end 25, substantially on the center line thereof.

With the armature 2| positioned within the bore of the sleeve 20, and the windings 22 and 23 in place thereon, the balls 32 and 33 are placed in the holes 30 and 3| after which the springs 34 and 35 are placed in the holes and an outer sleeve 38, the interior of which forms a working fit with the center head 29 retains the springs 34 and 35 in position with the balls 32 and 33 engaging the armature. The sleeve 38 is preferably made of iron or steel of high permeability as it encloses all the parts of the relay and forms a return, path for the magnetic flux.

End heads 33 and 40 are provided and fitted into and flush with the ends of the outer sleeve 33 where they also form part oi. the path for the magnetic flux. These end heads have bosses 4| and 42 respectively formed integral therewith extending into and forming a fit with the interior bore of the sleeve 20.

The boss 4| and the end head 33 is bored out and provided with an insulating bushing 43 which carries a contact member 44 having a head formed thereon to cooperate with the contact point 35 when the armature moves to the right as viewed in Figure 1 due to the energization of the reset coil 23. I

A conductor 41 passes through the end head 33 and is electrically connected to the sleeve 20, the connection being extended to the armature via portions of the surface of the armature in contact with the sleeve and via the spring loaded balls 32 and 33.

The end head 39 is also provided with insulating bushings 48 and 43 through which the lead wires and 5|, forming the terminals of the reset coil 23 pass.

The end head 40 and its boss 42 is bored out and fitted with an insulating bushing carrying a contact member 46 having a head formed thereon to cooperate with the contact point 31 carried on the end 25 of the armature, when the latter is at the extreme left (Fig. 1) due to the energization of the actuating coil 22.

The left end head 40 is also provided with insulating bushings 52 and 53 through which the lead wires 54 and 55, forming the terminals of the coil 22, pass.

After the relay is assembled a sealing compound of a suitable plastic material is applied as an outer casing or enclosing envelope 55.

The armature 2| has a slot 51 milled in its outer surface parallel to'the center line thereof,

the function of which will presently be described.

The actionof the spring loaded balls 32 and 33 against the slanting surface of the conical mal position. Likewise the action of these balls against the slanting surface of the conical frustrum 21 holds the contact members 36 and 4| together when the armature is in its other normal position. This spring action also propels the armature along in the sleeve for a portion of its stroke and aids the action of each of the coils when they are energized.

This may be illustrated by referring to Fig. 1, with the armature in the position shown, assume that the coil 23 is energized via its terminals 55 and 5|. The armature starts to move toward the left and as soon as the spring loaded balls pass off of the surface of conical frustrum 25, past the midline 28 and on to the surface of the frustrum 21, the action of the spring loaded balls against slanting surface of 21 aids the action of the coil 23 in propelling the armature 25 to the right (Fig. 1) and when the contact member 35 engages 44 the action of the balls against the surface of 21 resiliently holds the members 35 and 44 into intimate contact.

The diagrammatic sketch, Fig. 12, shows a method of connecting the relay up to control two circuits. A source of current is indicated at 50, a circuit closing means 5| is shown as associated with the coil 22, and another circuit closing means is shown as associated with the coil 23. When the coil 22 is energized by closing 5|, contact is established between contacts 31 and 45 and a circuit connected to 56 may be controlled. Likewise, when the coil 23 is energized due to the closing of 52, contact is established between contacts 36 and 44, and a circuit connected to 53 may be controlled.

The slot 51 in the armature 2| may be of an appreciable depth to out down eddy currents within the material of which it is formed and thereby increase to some extent the speed at which the armature operates. A suitable lubricant such as deflocculated graphite or a very light oil may be placed in the slot 51 before the relay is assembled and will last for the life of the relay, due to the protection afforded by the envelope 53 against dust and the humidity of the atmosphere.

In the modification shown in Figures 2 and 3 a sleeve 63 has a V-shaped groove 54 formed therein extending inwardly toward the centerline of the tube. The armature 65 i has a V-shaped groove 65 turned therein near the center of its length. A cross hole 61 is drilled in the armature having its center in line with the bottom line of the V-shaped groove 86. A longitudinal hole 10 is drilled in the armature from one end thereof to and communicating with the cross hole 61. This hole carries a ball 1| which contacts balls 69 and 10 in the .cross hole 51, and a spring 12 and the contact point 13 is forced in and serves as a retainer for the spring 12. The other end of the armature has a shallow hole drilled therein to accommodate the contact point 14.

In making the sleeve-armature assembly, the armature is placed in a straight sleeve and the V-shaped groove 64 is rolled into the sleeve, after which the armature cannot be removed. The three balls are placed in through the hole 15, followed by the spring 12 and the contact point 13 which forms a tight fit with the hole and serves as a retainer for the spring and balls. In the other end of the armature the contact point 14 is forced into the shallow hole provided for that purpose.

A center head 15 is placed on the sleeve 63 and of the center head 15.

ball 84.

End heads 38 and 48 similar to those described in connection with Figure 1 are assembled with their respective bosses 4i and 42 extending into the sleeve 63, the connections to the sleeve and to the coils extending through insulating bushings in the heads 38 and 48, and an outer sleeve 38 is provided to complete the path of the magnetic flux.

The pressure of the spring 12, via the ball H is imparted to the balls 88 and i8 and they in turn press against the slanting sides of the groove 84, giving a toggle action effect to the armature. This action is in effect the same as the action of the embodiment shown and described in Figure 1, the diiference being that in Figure 2 the spring loaded bails are carried by the armature and act against the slanting sides of the V- shaped groove formed in the sleeve 83, while in Figure 1 the spring loaded balls are carried by the sleeve, and the slanting sides of the conical frustrums are integral with the armature 2i.

A further modification is shown in Figure 7 in which the sleeve 28, the arrangement of the spring loaded balls 32 and 33, as well as the heads 28, 38, and 48 is the same as that in Figure 1. The armature 2| has the conical frustrums 28 and 21 which cooperate with the balls 32 and 33 in the same manner as described for Figure 1. The armature has a hole 18 drilled therethrough on substantially its center line. Balls 11 and 18 are placed in the hole 16 with a spring 18 between. The edges of the hole 18 at each end of the armature are spun over just sufliciently to retain the balls within the hole. These balls are used as contact members.

The right end head 39 and the left end head 48 have mounted in their respective insulating bushings 43 and 45 stationary contact members 88 and 8|. The inner ends of these members are provided with concave curved faces adapted to be contacted by the balls 18 and i1 respectively. The radius of the curved faces may be greater than or less than the radius of the balls 11 and 18 so that more than point contact may be obtained and so that, due to the resiliency of the ball with its associated spring, a wiping or selfcleaning connection between each ball and its cooperating member is obtained each time the relay is operated.

In thearrangement shown in Figure 4, the armature 82 is a round rod of any desired permeability, slotted at one end. A rectangular slab of bakelite'or other suitable insulation 83 is positioned in the slotted end and secured to the armature 82 in any suitable manner; so that when the armature moves, the slab moves therewith.

A metallic insert 84 is set in flush with the lower surface of the slab 83 and cars 88 and 88 integral with 84 are flush with the upper surface of the slab 83. In the embodiment shown the insert is substantially rectangular (Fig. 6) and the cars 85 and 88 are diagonally disposed in the upper surface of the slab of insulation 83 within the confines of the insert 84.

A cartridge 81 containing aspring 88 and a ball 88 is positioned below the slab 83 in such manner that the ball 88, under pressure of the spring 88, makes contact with the insert 84 for both positions of the armature.

Two cartridges 88 and 83 are supported side by side above and in contact with the slab 83 and, for convenience, in line with the cartridge 88. The cartridge 88 contains a spring SI and a ball 82, and the cartridge 83 contains a spring and a With the cartridges 88 and 88 positioned as shown (Figure 8) the ball 82 contacts with the ear 85, and the ball 84 in the cartridge 83 rests on insulation of which the slab 33 is composed, when the armature 82 is in the position shown in Figure 4. With the conductors 85 and 88 included in an external circuit, this circuit would be completed when the armature is in the position shown, due to the energization of the coil 22.

, When the coil 23 is energized the armature 82' comes to rest against the stop 85 in the end head 88, at which time electrical connection between the balls 88 and 82 is broken clue to the movement of the car 85 out of the range of the ball 82, and connection between the balls 88 and 84 is established due to the fact that the ear 88 now engages the bail 84. The and head 81 is provided with an insert 88 of insulation to overcome any possibility of contact between the metallic insert 84 or the ear 85 coming in contact of metallic parts of the relay proper. The sleeve 28 in this case is a plain straight'tube. The armature 82, the end heads 88 and '8] and the outer sleeve 38 may be made of iron or steel of any desired permeability.

In the modification shown in Figure 9, the con-.- struction may be the same as that shown in- Fig- .ure 1 or Figure '7 with the exception that a disk 88is placed between the ball 32 and the spring 34, and a rod 98 passes through a hole in the sleeve 38 and the envelope 88, and rests on the disk 88. A pair of contact arms MI and I82 are insulated from each other and are insulatedly supported on the relay. The arm I8I on its underside is provided with a button of insulation I88, against which the outer end of the rod rests.

The arms IM and I82 are provided, respectively, with contact points I84 and I83, so arranged that contact is established momentarily between these points when the armature is moving and the ball 32 rides over the midline 28, the high point of the combined slanting surfaces 28 and 27.

This makes it possible to establish a circuit or institute an impulse at a point half way between the time the armature contacts engage 44 and 48. As an example of the use of this modification is the inclusion of the contact arms IM and I82 in a circuit with a source of current and an electrical counter which would indicate the number of times the relay has operated.

In the modification shown in Figure 8 the armature 2i is provided with rods I88 and I88 extending through the end heads. A yoke I8! is secured to the outer ends of the rods I85 and I88, and the armature 2|, the rods I85 and I88, and the yoke I81 move as one when the windings 22 or 23 (Fig. 1) are energized.

The relay is provided with a support I88 carrying a pivot shaft I I I. A switch holder H8 is pivoted on the pivot shaft III and is provided with a slot H2 which is engaged by a pin I88 carried by the yoke I81. A mercury tube switch H3 is supported on the member H8 by means of the straps I I4. when the armature 2i moves in one direction themercury switch rocks in the oppovided with recesses which face each other and support the relays therebetween. In the outer surfaces, opposite to the recesses the strip H5 is provided with a plurality of longitudinal slots I i! and H8, and the strip 8 is provided with slots H9, I20 and HI. These slots communicate with the recesses through holes. The lead'wires, conductors and the end head conductors extend through these holes and cables for connecting to these conductors etc. lie in these slots as shown in Figure 11 and eiIect the desired connections without extending beyond the surfaces of the strips HI and 6.

Many changes may be made in the embodiments shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

i. In a relay, a sleeve, a pair of coils embracing said sleeve, a permeable magnetic core forming an armature adapted to reciprocate within said sleeve, a contact point on each end oi said armature, a permeable end head secured to each end of said sleeve, an outer sleeve embracing said coils and supported by said end heads forming a return path for magnetic flux generated by either of said coils, stationary contact members supported within said sleeve by said end heads, one of said contact points being adapted to engage the contact member carried by one of said heads when the armature is in one extreme position and the other contact point adapted. to engage the contact member in the other of said heads when the armature is in an extreme position opposite said first position, and spring means embraced by said outer sleeve for retaining the armature in either of said positions.

2. In a relay, a sleeve having a highly finished bore, a center head mounted on said sleeve and having openings formed therein communicating with the interior bore of said sleeve, a pair of coils mounted on said sleeve, one being positioned on each side of said center head, a movable permeable magnetic core positioned within said sleeve and adapted to move in one direction when one of said coils is energized and adapted to move in the opposite direction when the other of said coils is energized, an and head secured to each end of said sleeve, an outer permeable magnetic sleeve carried by said end heads and enclosing both said coils, contact members insulatedly supported within said sleeve on each of said end heads, contact points on each end of said core adapted to engage one of said contact members in either extreme position of said core. and spring means engaging said core via the openings in said center head adapted to resiliently hold the core in each of said extreme positions.

3. A relay as claimed in claim 2 in which the movable core has its midportion cut away to form two opposed conical frustrums having a common base line, and in which the spring means engages the surfaces of said frustrums and after riding over the common base line of said frustrums, due to the movement of said core, impels and facilitates further movement of and resiliently holds said core with a contact point engaging a contact member in either extreme position of the core.

4. In a relay of the character described a body having a hollow center sleeve with a pair of magnet coils wound thereon, a center head mounted on said sleeve between said coils and having openings formed therein communicating with the hollow interior of said center sleeve, a core adapted to reciprocate in said hollow, heads positioned at each end of said sleeve and each containing a contact member projecting into the hollow of said center sleeve and adapted to limit the movement of said core in each direction of movement, contact points carried by said core and adapted to engage said contact members, and spring means carried in said openings engaging said core within said center sleeve and resiliently holding the same in each of its extreme positions.

5. In a relay of the character described, a body having a hollow center sleeve with a pair of magnet coils wound thereon and a core adapted to reciprocate in said hollow, its movement being limited by heads at each end of said sleeve, contact members carried by said heads and extending concentrically into the hollow of said center sleeve, and contact points on each end of said core adapted to cooperate with said contact members, said core having its mid-portion so formed that, when engaged by spring means extending through said body between said coils, upon the energization of either of said coils the movement of said core is at first impeded and then facilitated by said spring means.

LINCOLN M. KEEFE. 

